Unused swale could help water quality
LOREN BENOIT/Press This grassy field at the entrance to Northwest Boulevard from U.S. 95 could turn into a collection point for stormwater that would reduce the amount of city stormwater that is dumped into the Spokane River.
RALPH BARTHOLDT/Press Traffic exiting U.S. 95 to Northwest Boulevard passes along a large, grass field the city is considering using to collect stormwater.
COEUR d’ALENE — A grassy chunk of undeveloped property near U.S. 95 and Northwest Boulevard in Coeur d’Alene could turn into a collection point for stormwater otherwise headed to the Spokane River.
The City Council will decide.
City engineer Chris Bosley this week pitched the proposal to the public works committee to install a pipe that would move stormwater from a series of neighborhoods around Kootenai Health and seep it into a grassy swale about the size of a football field instead of dumping it into the river.
The swale would be built in a pocket of grass enclosed by the sweeping exit to northbound Northwest Boulevard from U.S. 95.
“Before we can construct that swale we need to do some modeling to see how much capacity we need, how much is flowing in there and all of that,” Bosley said. “That whole area all drains to this point.”
The goal, Bosley said, is to prevent that stormwater from hitting the river.
“Our ultimate goal is to take the outfall completely offline,” Bosley said. “In the end we will be making a big improvement toward cleaner water.”
If engineers find too much water would potentially flow to the swale, the project could simply reduce the amount of stormwater that gets dumped into the swale, as well as the Spokane River upstream of the U.S. 95 bridge.
The proposal came to the forefront recently because of next year’s state project to rebuild U.S. 95 from Northwest Boulevard to west Lacrosse Avenue.
That project, funded and overseen by the Idaho Transportation Department, seeks to eliminate a dogleg in the highway where U.S. 95 makes a 90-degree turn at Walnut and Lincoln avenues as it bores into the city.
Highway department plans include replacing the sharp corner with a sweeping curve, and while the road is being moved, the city and state both want to rework the stormwater system there.
The city would have to get its work done first, Bosley said.
“They want us to be out of the way rather than couple it with their project,” he said.
Placing the pipe would likely be done at night to prevent traffic problems.
City Council members Woody McEvers, Kiki Miller and Dan English gave the proposal a green light, so it will be sent to the full council for approval.